This weekend, my husband and I went to New Orleans for White Linen Night. The block party celebrates local artists and galleries along Julia Street. Samplings of New Orleans’ world-famous cuisine from local restaurants are scattered throughout the Art District. And of course, a white linen outfit is a must!

I’m always on a mission to scope out swanky hotels with haute decor. The Saint Hotel was a great discovery!

Now that’s a dining table! (Why do the dining tables never look like this at Bed & Breakfast hotels???)

I think the chandelier inside the bell is so clever!

White makes me happy, and so does this graphic carpet pattern! The contrasting ceiling is a nice touch too.

Mallory Page unveiled a series called Treehouse for White Linen Night. Her use of color is genius!

There is just something about being in New Orleans. The culture has deep roots and I love exploring the city. On one street, you can find a home, a church, and a coffee shop! (what more do you need in life than that!?) There is nothing worse (to me) than an entire neighborhood with 3 floorplans, a reversed version, and 4 brown stucco colors on the whole street. I love character. Art. Imagination. This city has plenty of it!

Once just an old Southern tradition, the blue porch ceiling has made its way north and is being introduced to new generations. There are numerous theories as to why — from fooling spiders and wasps into thinking the ceiling is the sky, to blue being a harbinger of good luck, to the color extending daylight, to scaring away evil spirits. Notice the subtle color below. (Info courtesy of Sherwin Williams website.)

And another blue porch ceiling…

Post Katrina search & rescue teams identified homes by marking them with a spraypainted “X” and coded information. Some residents made a conscious decision to retain the codes as part of the provenance of that structure or a memorial to the event. This photograph was taken last week.